Avalon- A Merlin fanfiction
by mintsareawesome
Summary: Avalon is Gwen's new servant, but is she all that she seems? When Merlin meets her he quickly realises that she is not like everyone else, but will she pose a threat to Camelot?
1. 1) Avalon

"Do you need any help with that?"

Suprised, I dropped the basket of washing I had been carrying, and almost fell over when a pair of arms caught me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" I looked up at the face of the man who had caught me. "It's fine, I'm clumsy anyway." I said, smiling. "So who are you?"

The man let go of my arm and began to pick up the washing that had fallen out of the basket. "I'm Merlin, Arthur's servant." He finished reloading the basket and stood up. "I'm guessing you must be Gwen's new maid." Giving the basket back to me, he asked "What's your name then?"

"I'm Avalon, but my friends call me Avie." I replied, looking up at him from underneath my fringe. Compared to my short height, he was quite tall. "Well, it's nice to meet you Avie. I'm sorry, but I have to go. There are three sets of armour that I need to polish and..."

He was cut off by the sound of a voice coming from the end of the corridor. "Merlin, stop gossiping. Those stables won't clean themselves, you know. If you've finished already I'm sure that I can find you some more work to do. I think my boots may need a polish, actually..."

"What, all thirty-six of them?! Again?! I only polished them last week!"

The voice, as it happened, belonged to King Arthur of Camelot. I stayed quiet and stared at the basket of washing in my arms. Not wanting to attract any attention. "Ah, Avalon. I see that you've started work already? Excellent." Arthur ignored Merlin's outburst and gave him some 'friendly' advice. "You see, Merlin? This is exactly the sort of attitude that you should have. Getting on with your duties, rather than trying to do as little as possible." Arthur looked at Merlin expectantly. "Well then? Get on with it!"

"Yes Sire." Came Merlin's reply.

I looked at him apologetically, as he walked off. Arthur nodded to me, and followed Merlin out. I tried not to laugh at the fact I was complimented for my work ethic, when just a minute ago, I had succeeded in emptying the entire basket all over the floor.

I walked in the opposite direction, trying desperately to not drop the basket again. They're difficult to carry, believe me.

As I struggled to open the door at the end of the corridor whilst carrying the basket, I checked to see who else was around. When I was satisfied that it was empty, my eyes flashed gold as I muttered a word under my breath.

And the door opened, without me lifting a finger.


	2. 2) Home

I had just finished my day's work, and was looking forward to relaxing, when someone knocked at the door. I walked over to the door, opened it, and poked my head around to see who was there. Only to headbutt Merlin, who was standing outside.

"OW!"

"Oh God... I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to headbutt you!" I said, giggling slightly.

"Well, I guess that's one way to say Hi!" He laughed. "We never seem to start our conversations very well, if I'm going to be honest."

"You have a point there!" I said, laughing with him.

"Anyway, I came to ask if you could give me a hand with preparing Arthur's bath. It's just that it takes me about half an hour to do it by myself, and by then the water's always cold and Arthur complains the whole time. Honestly, I can't win with Arthur."

"I'm sure he's not that bad!"

"You have no idea," He murmured darkly.

"Anyway, of course I'll help you! I kind of owe you after I got you into trouble with Arthur yesterday, and now I've assaulted you, so..." I trailed off, feeling a bit awkward.

"Honestly, don't worry about it. I just as clumsy as you are, if not more so. Today's been a good day for me so far as dropping things is concerned! Also, I'm used to physical abuse anyway. Arthur constantly hits me. He claims it's 'Horseplay'. I say it's abuse. But that's just one of the many examples of our opinions differing."

I couldn't help laughing at that. "Well, let's go and get this bath sorted, before Arthur abuses you some more!"

"Good idea. I don't need to be hit around the head more than once a day!"

As we filled the buckets with hot water for the bath, Merlin asked me about what home was like. I answered, telling him about the green forests that housed vast amounts of wildlife, and the wooden huts in which my people lived. I told him about my family, and how I missed them. I told him about how you could see every single star in the sky at night, and how each star held special meaning to us. And when I had to wipe away a tear at the memory, he hugged me, and comforted me, while Arthur's bath went cold.

He, in return, told me about his village, where he had grown up. He told me about his mother, and how she was the only family that he really had left. He told me about how he felt completely at ease there, and how he didn't feel like he had to hide who he really was.

Having someone that seemed to understand how I felt made me feel whole again, even as we dragged Arthur's bath to his room, it was the happiest I had felt since arriving in Camelot. I bade Merlin farewell, as he helped Arthur with his bath.

Despite all this, however, I couldn't shake the feeling that Merlin was hiding something. He was so nice and funny, but there seemed to be another part of him that he never revealed.

Perhaps like me, he had a secret to hide from the world.


	3. 3) The Lake

Merlin's POV

I woke up to a repetitive poundng noise echoing in the halls of the castle. Sitting up groggily, it took me a few seconds to recognise the noise as footsteps. That was rarely a good sign. What if it was Morgana breaking into the castle? Startled into being awake by the thought, I leaped out of bed and dressed quickly. I ran out of Gaius's quarters, and out into the corridor, trying to be quiet as I followed the person through the halls of the castle.

It hit me that the person must be leaving the castle as I rounded a corner. This route headed away from the heart of the castle. I considered turning back, for if it was Morgana, then I needed to find what she'd done and put it right. But, I decided to carry on following the person, because I needed to know where they were going. That way, I would be able to make sure that this was Morgana, and not someone else. Whoever it was, they were going to need a pretty good excuse for leaving the castle at night, because when I told Arthur, he was not going to take the news lightly.

I caught a glimpse of the figure as I followed silently. They had long dark hair, which was escaping from underneath the green hooded cloak they were wearing to conceal their features. It was clear that it was a woman, as the hem of a dress could be seen when the cloak billowed out.

A woman, wearing a hooded cloak, with long dark hair.

It had to be.

Morgana finally stopped when she had reached the Lake of Avalon. She knelt down on the shore and began chanting a spell. It didn't sound like her voice though. Her voice seemed to blend in with the rustling of leaves and the wind, which was blowing lightly. It sounded like nature. As she chanted, wildlife that had been sleeping, woke up. Squirrels and birds all woke up, and ran over to her. She laughed as she watched all this wildlife around her, full of life and joy. It was a laugh I recognised, but it didn't belong to Morgana. As she drew back her hood, I realised that her face did not belong to Morgana either.

It belonged to Avalon.

Silently, I sat down and watched her, curious to see what happened next. I was confused. What was Avalon doing here? Was it a coincidence that she shared the same name as the lake, or was there something else at play? It was too much to process.

And then something else happened.

She stood up, and unclasped her cloak, and let it fall to the floor. Her face shone in the moonlight. She reached behind her neck, and undid the necklace around her neck, and clenched it in her fist. I stared at her as her face changed. Her cheekbones shifted, and moved higher up her face. Her skin became even paler. Her eyes turned a vibrant green, changing from the brown they had been before. Her hair changed colour. It's chestnut coloured waves turning tomato red. Her hair grew longer, so that it was waist length. Then, finally, her ears changed shape. Lengthening, and developing a point on the end of them becoming just like those...

Of an elf.


	4. 4) Empress

'Avalon.'

It was not a question, nor an exclamation. Merely a statement. Letting her know I was there. She whirled around to face me. 'Merlin? Are you ok?' She asked, as I stood there, fists clenched, looking at the ground.

'Avalon. Listen. I don't know why you're in Camelot. But if you go now, and give up whatever you're plotting, I will not tell anyone about this.'

'No! You don't understand! Merlin, I-'

'Yes. I do understand. I understand well enough.'

'You need to let me explain. I promise, no harm will come to anyone! I'm not plotting anything!'

'How can I trust a word you say? I've just found out that you have magic, and that you're a elf. You had led me, and everyone else to believe that you were a simple, innocent serving girl. So, when you've lied about your very identity, how can I trust you, Avalon?'

'Merlin, you have to understand! Let me tell you the whole story. I promise you, I've done nothing wrong!'

'Then why hide here? You have magic. You would be nowhere near Camelot if you knew what was good for you. Just you being here is a risk to your life. There has to be a reason for it, and I'll be honest, there are a few springing to mind right now, none of them good.'

'If you don't listen, I'll have no choice but to make you listen. I don't want to hurt you, Merlin.'

'Good. Because you won't.'

'Merlin, you are an honorable man, with a lot of courage and bravery, but you must see that there is no way you could beat me. I am one of the three most powerful sorcerers in Albion. There are only two who could possibly best me when it comes to magic.'

'Oh, really?'

'Yes. So please listen, I promise you, I'm innocent. Have I tried to do anything yet? No, I haven't, so please, just give me one chance to explain.'

'I will, but answer one question for me.'

'Yes?'

'Do you know the identities of the other two sorcerers? The ones who could beat you?'

'I do. But what would you want with that information?'

'Please, just tell me.'

'Very well. The first is a woman. She's called Morgana. She is evil, corrupted by hate and misery. The other, I only know by their druid name. They keep their identity very well hidden, only the most powerful sorcerers know of his existence. His druid name is Emrys. His motives are unknown. We can only hope that he opposes Morgana. She is far too dangerous, even alone. If the two were to work together, I cannot even imagine the consequences.'

'I see.'

'It is now time for me to tell you the story of how I came to be here. Back home, I am the leader of the elves. The Empress. In elven culture, leadership is judged on intelligence, power and good judgement. There is a council of elders, who speak for different types of elves. There are two main types of elves. Earth elves and Water elves. Within those two categories, there are more types of elves. The Earth elves split into forest elves, mountain elves and volcanic eleves. The water elves consist of lake elves, sea elves and river elves. There is no type of elf more powerful than another. Every elf has their source. If they are a forest elf, their source of power would be a forest somewhere. They share their name with their source. As an example, I am a lake elf. My source of power is the lake right before us. The Lake Of Avalon.'

'I am the youngest leader of the elves to have ever been. I am only 20 years old. However, my natural aptitude for magic has served me well. The Lake Of Avalon is shrouded in a history deeply rooted with magic, I believe that is why I am so powerful. I am grateful for it though.'

'However, the elves grow ever weaker. One by one, my people are being targeted by the sorceress Morgana. She assassinates our more powerful and influential sorcerers. My council... They insisted that I had to hide, that as long as my whereabouts was secret, and and I lived on, all would not be lost. I chose to hide in one of the least likely places to find a being who is almost entirely magic. Camelot. Alas, shortly after my arrival, I learnt that a trusted colleauge of mine had been killed. And that is my story Merlin. Act as you will, but at least take time to think first.'

He did not reply. He looked up at me and stared at me, incomprehensibly. Then I saw the water on the lake ripple, as his eyes flashed gold.

I gasped.

'Emrys.'


	5. 5) A Ball

Merlin and I had not spoken in a week. The usually chatty servant was avoiding me, staying away from me as much as he could. I understood why. He had no reason to trust, to associate himself with me. After all, he had obviously been working undercover to protect Camelot, my presence here put lives in danger. Including his.

It was nearly Christmas, and Arthur had decided to arrange a ball for all of the servants and people in the castle. His way of saying 'thankyou' for our work. I planned to skip the occasion, I didn't really speak to many of the other servants, and I felt I would be out of place. Queen Guineveire had other ideas though.

'Avalon, has anyone asked you to the ball Arthur is arranging?'

'No, my lady. I don't think that I will be attending.'

Her face fell. 'Oh. So... No one has asked you yet?' She asked carefully, as if trying to avoid letting something slip.

'No, my lady.' I replied. I was confused as to why she thought this was suprising.

'Well, I think that you ought to go anyway. You never know, there might be someone who wishes to spend time in your company tonight Avalon.'

I think I may have blushed a little at this. 'I will... consider it, my lady.'

'Excellent. Well, do you have anything suitable to wear?'

I thought about this. I may be a queen, but my elf form was a little different to my human form, and I doubted any of my elven gowns would fit well enough. I didn't have many elf gowns anyway, tunics and trousers are far more suitable attire in elven culture.

'No, my lady.'

The queen walked over to her dresser whilst I continued to fold items of her clothing. She pulled out a bag of coins from her dresser, and walked back over to me, fixing her coin pouch to her belt as she walked.

'Well then, we shall go shopping!'

***************************

The streets of Camelot were mainly market stalls selling just about anything you could need. Clothing, however, was not included in this. There were shops scattered amongst the houses in the main street where people that were of wealth similar to that of a servant would go to buy their clothing. The queen strode past these, however, and continued further along the street, towards the far end, where shops selling clothing suited for people with deeper pockets.

It was one of these shops that the Queen walked over to. She motioned for me to follow, and I did so, hesitantly, stepping inside the shop.

'Gwen!' A small woman ran from behind the counter and hugged the Queen, laughing.

'Avalon, this is my best friend, Anna' The Queen explained, smiling warmly at me.

Anna greeted me kindly, and the Queen told her why they were here.

To find a dress suitable for a ball. For me.

I guess there's no getting out of this then.


	6. 6) Parties

I thought I looked quite nice. I wore a dark green gown of velvet, which the Queen had bought for me. She said I owed her nothing, it was a favour to friends. I wondered who else she thought she was doing a favour for.

It was a beautiful dress though. From the waist up, the dress hugged my slender figure tightly, showing my small waist. The sleeves flared out at the elbows, and the cuffs were embroidered with a floral design.

The skirt was embroidered intricately, with intertwined flowers and vines working their way up the skirt of the dress and wrapping around the dress. I felt a sudden pang of nostalgia for my life at home with the elves. It vanished quickly though. I had been shown kindness by many people in Camelot, and it was beginning to feel more like a home to me.

I wondered if Merlin would be at the ball tonight. I felt unsure of his feelings towards me. I was not sure if he felt angry at me, or indifferent. I hoped that we could become friends though. He seems like the one person that I could be around most easily.

When he's not avoiding me, that is.

Merlin's POV

'Man up, Merlin. It's obvious you want to take her to the ball. Just go to her chambers and ask to escort her there. I'm sure she'll say yes.'

Arthur was lecturing me. Again. It had been a while since me and Avalon had last spoken. I'm not sure how to approach her, after finding out that she's the leader of the elves, and that she's in hiding. It was a little much to take in.

I wasn't quite sure of her opinions toward me. She was an empress, for goodness sake, and as far as taking her to the ball was concerned, I'm not sure I even qualified as worthy enough to escort someone of her status. That wasn't the only thing that bothered me though. I couldn't even be certain of her motives. For all I knew, she could mean harm to Camelot. That was just something I couldn't allow. If she did turn out to be a danger to Camelot, I wouldn't be comfortable with having to fight someone that I regarded as a friend. So for the time being I was trying to distance myself from Avalon.

I couldn't help but feel that Arthur was trying to play matchmaker and it made me a little uncomfortable.

I'm not sure I was going to get out of this one though.

'Merlin, if you don't ask to escort her I will personally drag you to her chambers and ask on your behalf.'

Yep, I had no chance of getting away with this.

Avalon's POV

I heard a knock at the door, and made my way over to answer. The person standing there surprised me.

'Merlin? Why are you here...?' I asked, slightly confused.

'Avalon, I just wondered if you would do me the honour of allowing me to escort you to the ball?' He replied, looking a little awkward as he stood.

Now I was very confused. My confusion stemmed from the fact that we haven't spoken in a week, and now he's asking me to the ball. However, I doubted I would get any answers if I refused, and it made sense to me to say yes. We might even manage to sort out the tension between us.

'Of course,' I answered.

Merlin sighed with relief and grinned awkwardly at me. 'I must admit, I was unsure of how you would react to that. Arthur more or less forced me to ask you.'

'Oh.' I replied. I felt somewhat deflated that Merlin had been told to ask me to the ball. I had hoped that it was his own doing. It would have been nice to know that he wanted to spend time with me out of his own free will, rather than being forced to do so.

Still, this was probably the best opportunity that I would get to fix things with him, and I was going to take it.

Merlin's POV

As we entered the hall, we were greeted with music reverberating off the walls and around the room. Some of the servants were dancing, whereas some lurked around the edge of the hall, laughing as they made conversation. They held their drinks in one hand as they gestured vividly whilst telling one another stories from their experiences in the castle.

I turned to see Avie looking around, eyes bright, beside me. I couldn't help but smile at her expression of wonder. It struck me then, that she was actually beautiful. Her chestnut hair hung in carefully arranged curls around her face. Her cheeks were rosy, and her skin glowed, reflecting the light from the chandelier in the middle of the room. Her brown eyes were bright, and shone.

It was at that moment she turned to face me and I realised that I had been staring at her. I turned away hurriedly, blush creeping on to my cheeks.

I couldn't help but compare her to how she had appeared in her true form as an elf. Her face looked mostly the same apart from her cheekbones, and her eyes had changed to a vibrant green. Her hair had been tomato red too, and longer. I wondered why I had been paying such close attention to her appearance. I pushed those feelings aside as I made my way over to the banquet table, and allowed my stomach to think for me.

Laughter erupted beside me, as I looked at Avie. I realised with embarrassment that I had sauce on my face from the chicken casserole being served that I had ravenously tucked into. For the second time that night I felt my cheeks turn pink and I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief. Something then grabbed my hand and I felt myself being tugged in the direction of the gardens.

'We need to sort this out Merlin,' Came Avie's voice, as we reached the garden. I knew she was right but I still felt uncomfortable with discussing it. I just wasn't used with being able to discuss my magic with anyone other than Gaius. It just felt wrong, I was so used to having to hide my magic from everyone in my life. It was also odd to me that someone else was in the same situation. Having to hide who they really are.

I still didn't know what I should think about her though. And I was starting to have thoughts that I should be avoiding. It had been hard enough for me to adjust to Morgana being a villain when I had considered her a friend. I felt that it would be harder for me to deal with Avie becoming a villain to Camelot, even though really, I barely knew her.

I guess that it was time to try and set things straight, and rid ourselves of confusion.

'Merlin, I can tell that you hold Camelot dear to you, and I know that with your power, you try hard to defend it. I suspect that you have saved Camelot from many a tragic fate. Would I be right in saying that?'

I nodded. Everything that she had said was true, although I had never recieved credit for it.

'Merlin, I need you to understand that I am not your enemy. I mean no harm to Camelot. I have been driven here by the actions of the sorceress Morgana. Hasn't Camelot been affected by her too? You must understand that she is a serious threat...'

I cut her off as she spoke. 'I know more than anyone just how dangerous Morgana is. I suspect I know of her power and danger even more than you. She lived here until she developed her magic and then made numerous attempts on the King's life. It was I who single-handedly protected this kingdom from her. That's why I just can't allow anyone to harm it. I've worked hard trying to protect this kingdom, and I still do.'

'Just as I work hard to protect mine, Merlin. That is the sole reason that I am here. And I made the most important discovery in years. One that could overthrow Morgana entirely.'

'That discovery being...?'

'The identity of the third. Before, I spoke briefly to you of the three sorcerers with more power than any others in the land. These people are called the Triunity. I am one, Morgana is the second, and the third, is you Emrys. No one knew of your identity, you keep yourself well hidden, I must say. Does Morgana know of your magic?'

'She does not. She never discovered my true identity whilst she resided in Camelot.'

'Then I have a proposal for you, Emrys. Help me take her down, for the sakes of both of our kingdoms.'


	7. 7) Answers

Merlin's POV

'Please stop calling me Emrys.'

'What?' Avie asked, looking confused at my sudden outburst.

'My name is Merlin, not Emrys. Emrys is the name given to me by the druids. It is not a name that I am used to being called, and it unsettles me.' I explained.

'Alright, Merlin it is, then.'

It made me more comfortable to know that I wouldn't have Avie calling me Emrys all the time. I did not particularly like the name, and I tried to avoid it's usage wherever possible.

However, I had more things to think about. What should I say? Should I help take down Morgana? Or should I try to lay low and help Camelot as much as I possibly can undercover?

But Avie needed help just as much as I did.

'Avie, I will help you fight Morgana.'

'Thankyou... Merlin. She must be stopped. Although it will not be easy. High priestesses are fiendishly difficult to best in a fight. But with two of us the odds will be more in our favour than they were before.'

What concerned me a great deal was exactly how powerful Morgana had grown. It unsettled me to think that she may have grown to be stronger than I could have ever anticipated.

She had to be stopped, and fast.

But I was unsure as to how much we could actually do to fight her. High priestesses possessed strong powers. I was not a powerful sorcerer, despite what Avie seemed to think.

Part of me seriously doubted everything she had said about me being a part of this 'Triunity'. A part of me still doubted how trustworthy she was, but I was beginning to feel more comfortable around her, and her presence was worrying me less and less with each passing hour. She seemed to hate Morgana almost as much as I did, meaning we had a common enemy.

Surely there had to be other magic users willing to fight Morgana and be allies of Camelot?

I realise that Avie may not be all bad. She was a nice person and I, more than anyone, could sympathize with her. But I still had to be careful, for the sake of Camelot. I knew that she understood this, and wasn't offended by my reluctance to trust her.

Right now though, I had to push my concerns to one side. Avie and the elves were the best hope of defeating Morgana once and for all. I knew I stood no chance facing her alone, and I needed all the allies I could get.

The elves are not my biggest threat.

-

Avalon's POV

'Avalon, would you please come in here for one second?'

I put down the silverware that I was polishing and walked into the next room, where that Queen was waiting for me.

'Yes, my lady?'

'I have something important to discuss with you.'

Part of me was instantly concerned. 'What would that be, my lady?'

'Avalon, Morgana is bringing a huge army to Camelot. She is 6 days away from us. I wanted to let you know so that you could prepare for a possible attack.'

'Thank you, my lady.' I curtsied and walked out of the room.

The time had come quicker than I thought. I had not expected an attack from Morgana for at least a few months. She must have grown stronger since attacking my people. I had to find Merlin, and discuss our course of action.

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading this far! Also I would just like to say thank you for any favorites, follows, and reviews, because it's really lovely when I log on and see this story has more** **of those :)**


	8. 8) Request

Avalon's POV

'Avalon, I want you to leave Camelot as soon as you can.' Alarm bells instantly rang in my mind.

'May I ask why, my lady?' I replied nervously, I was worried that I had slipped up, maybe revealed a part of who I really was without realising.

'There is a war coming, and our defeat seems likely. Arthur and I want to save everyone that we can, and trying to evacuate people seems the best way to save lives.' The Queen looked sad, but also determined, and I thought that she was probably expecting death in the next few weeks.

'My lady, I wish to stay.' I was not a weak person, and although she may not have known this, I felt like I had to stay, there was so much I could do to help.

'Avalon, please think about what you are saying. You must go. I'm sorry. The threat facing the entire court of Camelot is great and we really don't stand a chance.' The Queen was going to be stubborn, I realised. This could be tricky.

'My lady, I serve you, I cannot leave you to face this.' I tried to sound as humble as possible, I didn't want to anger her.

'Avalon, I am sorry that it must come down to this, but if you will not leave, I will exile you. It is for your own benefit. Me and Arthur value all that you have done for us in your service greatly, that is why we must ask you to leave, for your wellbeing. It will be hard enough to see Camelot perish, without seeing our friends die too. Morgana is the one waging this war against us, you must see that it is not safe to stay.'

I had a flash of realisation. Morgana. Now there was no way I was leaving, what could be more stupid? They really did stand no chance, at least not without Merlin and I. However, it seemed that the Queen would force me to leave, so I was going to have to find a solution to this.

'My lady, I will do as you ask. I will leave tomorrow morning.' I said, trying to be as genuine as possible.

'Thank you Avalon, me and Arthur really value this.' She smiled at me and patted me on the shoulder before sweeping out of the room.

As she left, the sound of footsteps alerted me to someone arriving in the room. I turned around to see Merlin.

'Avie, I gather that Gwen has asked you to leave.' Merlin asked.

'She has. And I also understand that the reason for this is a war started by Morgana. Has Arthur asked you leave?' I was curious to see if Merlin was being offered the same choice as me, leave or exile.

'It was less asked, and more threatened to exile me if I didn't leave.' I smiled at that one, it seemed that the King and Queen were quite similar in many ways.

'And are you going to leave, Merlin?' I already knew the answer of course.

'Of course not. I mean, I'll have to pretend to leave, but really I'll stick around close by.'

'That was exactly my planned course of action. Of course, they will recognise us if we help in battle.' I was testing him, to see what solutions he had for such things.

'Well isn't the solution obvious? You can just help in your elf form, that's different enough, and you will likely only be seen from a distance. Myself, well I have my own solution that I have used on many an occasion.' He smiled as he spoke.

'Can I ask what your solution is?' I was intrigued to say the least.

'I imagine that you will see soon enough Avie.' He looked smug, and laughed when I frowned at him and slapped him on the arm.

'So, when do we leave?' Merlin asked, looking just as smug despite being hit on the arm.

'I told the Queen that I would leave tomorrow morning.'

'Ah, excellent. I told Arthur much the same. Shall I meet you tomorrow morning then? I'll come and find you in your quarters and we can make our way out. Perhaps we could camp in the forest?' It was not a bad suggestion, but I had something better in mind.

'I was thinking that the lake may be a good place to camp. It is my source, after all, and my power will likely grow a little in my time there. I expect you will also feel the benefit magically, the place is alive with it.'

'The lake is a good idea. Tomorrow morning then. I shall meet you at your quarters and we can leave Camelot.'


	9. 9) Goodbye

**Merlin's POV**

I watched the sun rise from my window as I had many a time before. I did not want this to be the last time I saw this sight. It was one of the few times of day when Camelot was quiet and bustling with the usual activity. The only people I could see were farmers, bringing in their crop to the market from the outlying villages that surrounded Camelot.

There was a noticeable chill in the air, and I could see a faint sheen of frost coating the city as far as I could see. I was concerned about camping outside in this kind of weather, I seriously doubted that it was a good idea. The comfortable silence of the morning was interrupted by a shuffling noise, and I turned to see Gaius, who stood there with a deep sadness in his eyes. He, too, had been asked to leave, but he had a much better excuse to say than I, after all, he was the Royal Physician. He was the one person that had the ability to really save lives, and he would be invaluable in the impending battle.

'Merlin, I want you to have this.' Gaius held out a large book, which I realised upon closer inspection, was his most used spell book. There was every spell imaginable inside that book and I knew that nothing he could give me would help me more than that. Gaius then also produced a bag which clinked when it moved. I guessed that he had been up all night brewing all manner of potions for me to use.

'Gaius, thank you so much. I will be back, and I will help you win this war when it arrives.' I took the bag of potions and spell book and placed them on the table next to me, before hugging Gaius. He was like a father to me, especially as my own was long dead.

'I have no doubt that you will be the one who wins this war, and I hope that you can do this with your magic Merlin. One day Arthur will be able to see you for how great you truly are.'

I smiled at that. I couldn't imagine the day that Arthur would be grateful for my help on the battlefield.

'I will be back Gaius.' I picked up the book and bag, and then grabbed my knapsack from where it lay on the floor. Packing the things that Gaius had gave me inside, I picked up the bag containing all of my possessions and walked out of the door.

Avie was waiting for me when I knocked on the door to her quarters. She gave me a sad smile, I think she realised how hard leaving Camelot would be for me.

Without a word to each other, we walked down the stairs, and out of the castle. In the courtyard, I turned back, to look upon the castle for what could be the very last time.

I saw movement in one of the windows, and Arthur was there, watching me leave through his window. When he noticed me looking, he walked away from the window, and I appreciated this silent goodbye.

I looked at Avie, and we both walked out of the courtyard, and out of Camelot.

The lake was not far from Camelot really, it was little more than half a day's trek, and that was at a leisurely pace. Myself and Avie were able to take regular breaks, and pick things like berries on the way to the lake. Neither of us had brought much food. After all, with our magic we could easily fish or forage, so I doubted that there was much need to waste packing space on loaves of bread. I had only brought a block of cheese, a bread roll, and some cooked steak that I had 'borrowed' from the kitchens. I did not feel much guilt about that, the cook had never exactly been friendly towards me.

Avie and I spoke as we walked, mainly about what our plan was for the coming weeks. She told me that she had ways of finding out when the war would begin and that it should not be difficult for us to find the location. Her position as Empress of the elves came in handy, it seemed. I also felt happy about having someone with me who I could freely talk about my magic with. It was refreshing not having to hide my abilities all of the time, and Avie was was only too happy to talk about magic.

Apparently it was interesting to hear my perspective on it as she never had to hide her magic where she came from. It was celebrated. A part of me longed for that kind of acceptance, yet I knew it would never happen in Camelot, or much of Albion, for a very long time.

When Arthur first became king, I had thought that he may be more open to the use of magic than his father was. Whilst it was true that he was much less hateful of it, I did not see him allowing magic in Camelot until Morgana was gone. She was the type of person that turned people against magic. No one seemed to acknowledge that it was not magic that was corrupt, it was the person.

I was so lost in my thoughts that it took me a while before I realised we were at the lake. Avie had to tug on my sleeve to get my attention. It seemed that we had arrived.


	10. 10) Setting up Camp

Merlin's POV

I realised that Avie's magic was very different from mine as I watched her start to build a shelter for us. We had decided that it would make more sense to build a shelter rather than bring one with us when we left Camelot, and as I was busy tending to the fire, I saw Avie start to build. She had assured me that she had the means to create a functioning shelter so I had agreed to let her take care of it whilst I fished and built a fire. She used a kind of magic which I had never seen before. She was focused and twisting her hands into all sorts of different shapes, and as she did so the very ground began to change shape and grow. The ground grew upwards to create a raised platform. Then the earth surrounding the platform raised up as Avie changed the shaping of her hands, and I realised that it was forming a small house, and the earth was a floor and walls. I was mesmerised by this type of magic.

When the walls had formed, plants began to grow out of the walls. Climbing vines intertwined and snaked around each other and twisted until they made a canopy. Then, the magic stopped.

As the house had been built Avie sank to her knees and then lay down on the floor. Concerned, I got up and walked over to her. Her breathing was very heavy and her skin had gone immensely pale. It was then I realised that she converted to her elf form during the flow of magic. However, the hair which I knew should be red was a very dull reddish brown and seemed completely different.

'Avie, what's wrong, are you ok?' I said. I was getting worried, I had no idea if this was normal for an elf.

She groaned and her eyes fluttered open. Slowly, her gaze focused on me and she gave a small smile.

'I should have learnt not to overexert myself by now. When I perform magic like this, I can end up in this state. It only happens when I do too much. Normally this kind of magic would not tire me so, but lately I have had to maintain magic constantly to disguise myself. I think some time in my true form will do me good.' She barely whispered this, and her voice faded slowly as she talked.

Gently, I picked her up, and carried her over to the fire, and then placed her next to it. The fish that I had caught had finished cooking, and I placed it into one of the bowls we had brought with us (that I had also borrowed from the castle cook) and set the bowl down in her lap.

'Eat, and then you must sleep Avie. I'll go and collect some water, I'll need to boil it and then I'll put it in the waterskins so we have fresh water ready in the morning.' I grabbed the other bowl that was by me. I might as well boil the water whilst the fire was still roaring hot. To my surprise, Avie reached over and squeezed my hand. 'Thankyou Merlin.' She said with a smile. I squeezed her hand back and then made my way over to the lake to collect some water, unsure why my heart had suddenly started beating a bit faster.

The next morning, I awoke to the smell of berries. I slowly rose from the floor of the little house and made my way outside, where I saw Avie stirring a pot that hung over a newly made fire. Avie looked much better, her hair was so red that it practically glowed and her skin was still pale, but there was colour in her cheeks.

'Merlin, would you mind fetching the bread that you brought?' Her voice was clear and was sounding much better than the rasp that I had heard yesterday. I nodded at her and went to fetch the two large bread rolls that I had brought with me. Whilst I was there I picked up two cups, so that I could have a drink with whatever breakfast Avie had cooked up.

Making my way out of the house I went to sit down next to Avie, by the fire. She took the bread from my hands and placed it by her side.

'Right I think that should be ready.' Avie smiled as she handed me one bread roll, after she had dipped it in the strange red substance in the pan.

I hesitated as I stared at the roll. I had no idea what she had dipped it in, and I was not too eager to find out.

Avie saw me staring at the roll and just laughed. She dipped her own roll in the pan and took a bite. 'Go on, try it!' She smiled at me encouragingly.

So I took a bite. The red liquid tasted sweet and fruity and then I realised that this was some sort of berry mixture. My hesitation was completely dissolved and I tucked in, loving the taste of it.

When I had finished, I looked up at Avie and asked her what it was.

'That's called jam. Back in my homeland we have it often. It's easy to make, all you need is some sweet berries and you just mash them and heat them in a pot. I used the berries we picked yesterday. They were snowberries, we have lots of them back where I come from.' She trailed off and looked at the ground. She looked a little sad, but after a few seconds she shook herself and picked up the pot. 'Sorry, I got a little homesick there. I'm just going to go and wash this, I'll be back in a few minutes.' She walked off in the direction of the lake. I could tell that she wanted some time to herself so I made my way back to the little hut and found the spell book that Gaius had given me yesterday.


	11. 11) Potions

Merlin's POV

After seeing Avie use her magic to create the hut I was very curious about the different types of magic that might exist. The thought of different branches of magic had never really occurred to me until now. But I was longing to find some new spells and get some magical practice. I flicked through the large book and found the page that I had been looking for.

It was a page on elemental manipulation and basically described how the earth, water and air can all be manipulated using mental imagery and hand movements. Just like I had seen Avie doing. Looking through the spell book made me feel deeply uneducated compared to Avie, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could succeed in something new. So I went outside to where the hut was and found a flat patch of earth next to it. Trying to focus like the book had described and keeping my hand movements steady and deliberate, I tried to move the earth. However, my efforts came to nothing, and I lowered my hands feeling a little stupid. At least Avie hadn't seen my bad attempt.

'Merlin, I could teach you earth manipulation if you'd like? I know that books can be difficult to learn from.' The voice behind me startled me and I turned around to see Avie.

Oh, she had seen me fail then.

I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment and looked at the floor, 'I'd like to learn earth manipulation, yes...' I bit my lip feeling more than a little stupid.

'Come on then, we'll have to start on something a bit different first.' She carefully took my hand and led me to the lake, where there was a small shore with sand on it.

'If you want to learn earth manipulation you need to start simple, and go easy on yourself. Sand is much easier to manipulate than solid earth is, so this is what we'll start with.' I nodded, not wanting to interrupt. 'I'll demonstrate and then I want you to have a go. You need to stare at the sand, and visualise it moving up. The mental image needs to be strong, otherwise it's not going to move. You really need to will the sand to move, ok? You can help yourself to achieve this movement by using your hands, and moving them in whatever way comes to you. It sounds weird now but you'll understand what I mean when you try.'

Avie stopped talking and almost instantly assumed a face of concentration. Her eyes flashed gold as she flourished her hands and the sand flew upwards and then away from us, into the lake. She took a few steps back from the shore and then pushed me over to the sand. 'Your go now'.

I did exactly as Avie said, focusing intently on the sand and willing it with all of my might to move. As I did so an overwhelming sensation to move my hands came over me so I obliged, and when I did the sand flew up just as I had imagined. The sand carried on flying, and disappeared into the air as it got too far away for me to see.

I was thrilled that I had managed it, but when I turned to face Avie with a huge smile plastered on my face, she was just standing in a state of what seemed to be shock.

'What have I done wrong?' I asked. I thought that I must have made a huge mistake and suddenly all of the euphoria of doing the spell wore off and I felt slightly silly again.

'I have never seen such an aptitude for magic. When you cast that spell it was the strongest first attempt I have ever seen. The prophecies are true about you, if anything, you are stronger in real life.' She stated simply.

I was at a loss for words, I wasn't sure what I supposed to do. Avie did however. She suggested that I only needed to practice control, because my power might be too strong to handle when manipulating small things. So for a few hours a practiced controlling my movements until they were precise enough for me to have constructed a sand castle on the shore of the lake. At this point, it was about noon, and we were both getting hungry.

I remembered the jam from breakfast and asked Avie what it was we needed to make more. Laughing at my eagerness to try it again, she suggested that we go and find some more snowberries so that we could make some more for out lunch.

We set off into the forest. We only had to walk for a few minutes until we came across a hue patch of snowberry bushes. Before we picked the snowberries and took them back to the lake, Avie suggested that I took the setting as an opportunity to try my hand at plant manipulation.

She told me to recreate a snowberry bush, and after telling me briefly what to do, I gave it a go. My first attempt was not bad. However, when I thought I had finished, the bush I had grown was very small. But we were both getting hungrier, so rather than try again we picked the berries and made our way back to the lake to make some more jam.

-

After we had eaten we decided to try some different magic. It turned out Avie didn't know a lot about potions or medicines, so I set up the fire and pot and went to the hut to retrieve some herbs from my bag and my book. Although it seemed my knowledge about magic was not vast, I realised that I knew a lot about potion making from watching Gaius work. I could recreate several dozen tonics with no need for instructions, so I decided to teach a few of the simplest potions to Avie.

The first potion I demonstrated was a burn treatment. When a person had been burnt you needed to apply this potion to the burn using a cloth. Doing this several times a day would heal the burn completely in a few days, and would leave minimal scarring. The ingredients were pretty basic. A pinch of blisterwort, a branch of willow, a few leaves of mint, and a few snowberries. The snowberries were not just used for food, but actually had a wide range of use in alchemy too. It had cooling properties which it was named for, so it could be used to help calm a fever or treat a burn.

You also needed a base liquid when making potions. Luckily, the base liquid for the burn treatment was just water, so I fetched some and boiled it in the pan. The general rule with potion making was that everything had to be boiled. This was for two reasons. Firstly, boiling the mixture killed any toxins that could be lurking on plants inside, and it made the potion clean and safe to drink. Secondly, the plants would only release the chemicals that gave the potion it's properties at a high temperature, so we need to boil the water before we could begin.

Contrary to what many people believed, potion making was not magic. It involved no spells or magic of any kind. Instead it simply revolved around knowing your plants and following a recipe. In this respect it was very similar to cooking. The reason that so many people associated alchemy with magic was because back when magic was not banned, most sorcerers made their living from selling potions and medicines to people. Because of the magical association, not many people knew how to brew a simple potion and relied on people like Gaius to help heal them when they were ill. I imagined that I would end up succeeding Gaius. I knew that I had a destiny to fulfill, but when the situation with Morgana was over, I expected to go back to assisting Gaius and eventually replacing him as court physician.

Thoughts of Camelot filled my head as I taught Avie the recipe. Afterwards I excused myself, and made my way back to the hut, where I curled up and fell asleep.


	12. 12) An Arrival

Later that night I was woken up by something touching my shoulder. I sighed into my makeshift pillow and shook off whatever it was. However, they started touching my shoulder again, so I sat up groggily. Avie was looking at me, biting her lip and looking worried.

'Merlin, I can hear something outside.' She whispered to me.

All tiredness left me, and my heart started beating twice as fast. How did they find us? It's secluded here, and shouldn't they be busy fighting a war?

'Avie, stay here, I'm going to have a look.' Avie did not look happy to let me go and look, but knowing that one of us had to, she simply nodded.

I stood up as quietly as I could, and picked my sword up from the ground. When it scraped against the floor, clanging quietly, I winced hoping it was not loud enough for our visitor to hear.

I crept across to the opening, pushing aside the leaves that covered the entrance to our hut. It was cold out, and there was frost covering the leaves of the tress surrounding us. It was eerily quiet, and the only thing I could hear was my own breathing, which was heavy as a result of my nervousness.

Although it was dark outside, I could see the orangey glow in the distance, telling me that the sun was about to rise. I took a cautious step forward. Despite my caution, I stood on a twig, and it snapped loudly beneath my foot. I silently cursed myself, and it was then that I heard something. It sounded like a quiet chuckle, and it was coming from one of the trees next to our hut. I made my way over to the area that I heard the noise come from, keeping my sword held tightly in my right hand, ready for an attack.

Before I could even register what was happening, something hit my sword, knocking it out of my hand, and then I felt cold on my throat.

Someone was holding a sword to my neck.

I still had no idea who my attacker was, but I knew I had little choice but to use my magic to get out of this grip I was held in. Muttering softly under my breath, I used my magic to wrench the sword from the person's grip, and it flew over all the way to the shore.

We were still covered by the trees and surrounded in shadow, making it impossible for to see anything apart from the silhouette of the attacker. Deciding that the darkness was not working in my favour, I ran out from underneath the trees and onto the shore. The sun was steadily rising now, and I could see properly.

Finally laying my eyes upon the attacker, I knew this was not a person I had ever seen before.

Their eyes were silver, and glinted wildly. Their nose was pointed, and long, but not in an ugly way. It was definitely a male though, that much was clear from their lean but muscular build. The one thing that stuck out though, was the ears of this person. They were clearly an elf.

I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or not. I was obviously relieved that it wasn't Morgana, but something about this elf told me that they could easily be just as much trouble.

This elf looked strikingly similar to Avie too. I wondered how similar all elves looked. I thought that the height was similar, and their hair was the same shade of tomato red.

However, I had to stop my speculating there, as I noticed the elf rushing towards me with a fierce look in his eyes. I managed to jump away at the last moment, and saw the elf's leg kick through the space that my head had just been in. He really wasn't messing around. Something shiny then caught my eye, and I saw the elf's sword lying on the shore a few metres from where I stood. I made a grab for it, and managed to swing it at the elf as he tried to run into me again. I slashed down the length of his upper arm, not deeply though.

This did not have the desired effect. The elf just looked even more angry, and then he used magic.

Chanting something I could not recognize, my stomach dropped as I saw the elf waving his hands in a circular motion and then a miniature tornado headed towards me.

I had seen this type of wind before. One time, I was travelling across the desert with Arthur and the knights, and we had almost been swept away by much larger tornadoes than this. Those storms had come close to blinding us because of all the sand that they blew into our eyes.

I then decided to try the magic that Avie had taught me yesterday. No other magic that I knew would be much use against the tornado, so I focused as hard as I could and tried to raise an earth wall in front of me. To my complete surprise, it actually worked. The wall served as a barricade against the tornado, and it soon dissipated. I lowered the wall, and almost laughed when I saw the face of the elf. His jaw was hanging open as if in disbelief that his little attack didn't work. Seeing the smirk that had crept up onto my face he scowled, and threw himself at me again, landing a very painful punch on my stomach. The wind was knocked out of me and I had to take a moment to regain my composure before charging at him with my sword. Before I reached him, I was knocked to the side by what I assumed was a wall of air that he had summoned.

I got up, and I was about to charge again when I heard Avie's voice.

'What are you doing here Levalen?' She stood in front of our hut, with shock all over her face, as well as recognition. She then ran forward to _hug_ him. This elf, that was just trying to kill me was hugging Avie and I felt furious. Had she not seen any of what was just going on?

I walked over to where they were hugging and cleared my throat. 'Sorry to interrupt this little party, but does anybody want to tell me what the hell is going on?' My voice rose to a shout as I spoke. The elf who Avie had called Levalen then pushed my over roughly, and ripped his sword out of my grasp. He then pushed the tip of it against my chest.

'I should kill you. I should kill you for what you've done.' He growled at me. His voice was so far from Avie's lilting voice and it surprised me.

'LEVALEN. REMOVE YOUR SWORD IMMEDIATELY!' He jumped at this sudden outburst as did I. Looking up, I saw Avie glaring at Levalen.

'Avie, this man is a threat, and he must be eliminated.' He retorted, looking dumbfounded as to why Avie was shouting at him.

'No he is not. He is my friend and we are working together. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are currently holding a sword to Emyrs.'

Levalen looked even more surprised. After being scolded by Avie I almost felt sorry for him. Although mostly I was just a bit annoyed by him trying to kill me. Levalen dropped the sword like it had burnt him and took a step away from me.

'This... this is Emyrs?' He looked disgusted and I wondered what I'd done now.

'Do not be such a child Levalen. His aptitude for magic is unlike anything I've ever seen. He picked up the manipulation of earth much faster than you ever did, I only taught him yesterday. So I would suggest that you stop looking down your nose at him.' Avie was very clearly asserting her authority here, and I felt smug at the fact that she was clearly on my side.

However, something was nagging at me. Before Avie started scolding Levalen, she had rushed to him and hugged him with the same kind of ferocity that Arthur would hug Gwen with when she came back from a hunt. I wondered if these two had history together. The thought made me a little sick. I attempted to push these worries aside, and instead asked about the other thing that I had been wondering.

'Why are you here?'

'I am here because Avie needs to come back home, to the elven kingdom, where she belongs. The situation with Morgana is worsening for us and we need our Empress. The humans will help as a distraction, whilst we get her back to safety.' Levalen seemed to sneer as he said the word 'humans'.

'You do realise that all Morgana is interested in is the human throne?' I was surprised that Levalen regarded humans with such... hatred.

'Levalen, what Merlin says is true. And I am not going back yet. We have a war to help win.' Avie looked Levalen directly in the eye as she said this, letting him know that she meant every word.

'Avie you cannot be serious. You wish to risk your life and the lives of your people to help these humans win a petty war?' Levalen was still sneering. If he carried on pulling that face I was sure it would stick.

I really did not like that elf.

'Levalen, enough. This war is far from petty. It directly involves two of the triunity, need I remind you that they hold immense magical power? And we must involve ourselves. In my opinion the elves have hidden for far too long, and it's about time that we try and help these humans. Arthur is one of the most honourable kings to have reigned in a long time, a fact which Merlin will vouch for. I am your superior Levalen, and as much as I dislike having to do this, please remember who is in charge.' This was the first time that I had seen Avie speak truly as a leader and it shone through how well suited she was to the position. She was wise before her time. In many ways, she reminded me of Arthur. A beautiful, female, magic wielding version of Arthur.

I wondered which Avie I saw was the real her. During the time I've spent with her these past few weeks I've seen a more vulnerable side to her. But with Levalen, she is strong, regal and wise.

After Avie's speech Levalen said very little. I'm pretty sure he was sulking. I decided to go back to sleep and give them some privacy to discuss whatever it is that they wanted to discuss after being separated for weeks. They likely didn't want be intruding. I felt a bit like a third wheel, much like I did around Gwen and Arthur. The thought of Avie and Levalen possibly being together made me feel sick, but I tried to push it aside and get back to sleep.


	13. 13) A Confession

The next morning, as I woke, I noticed there were two sleeping figures beside me. Frowning, I left the hut before I had to see them with each other. The fact they were sleeping quite comfortably next to each other cemented my worries. They must be together.

I felt uncharacteristically aggressive that morning. I rarely got angry at people, but today I was primarily angry at myself, for knowing how much Levalen and Avie being together affected me. The fire had enough firewood left there to keep going for awhile, without me having to collect anything. So I went to grab some twigs from the outside of the hut to use as kindling. In the light of day, I could see the twig that I had stepped on last night. I kicked at it angrily, remembering Levalen's chuckle when I had alerted him to my presence.

Summoning fire to my hand to light the fire, I created a bit to much fire than I needed, and almost set my clothes alight. I cursed, rather loudly, causing Avie to poke her head around the door frame, to ask if I was alright.

'Oh I'm fine, don't you worry about me.' I realised that my rage was clear in my voice and regretted my words as I said them. Avie looked hurt, but she came out of the hut, walked over to the fire (which was now blazing merrily) and settled herself beside me on the sand.

'Merlin, what is wrong? You have not been yourself since Levalen arrived. I understand you may be angry at him for attacking you, that's understandable. But it is not like you to harbour such anger as this.' Avie's voice was soft, and she took my hand as she spoke.

I wrenched my hand out of her gentle grip, and the feeling of warmth that had washed over me as she took my hand was gone. 'I doubt Levalen would approve of you taking other men's hands, Avalon.' It was the first time I had called her Avalon since I met her.

Avie laughed. It was a clear, soft sound. As her laughter washed over me, my anger was replaced mostly by confusion. I didn't know what she found so funny about this. Was she mocking me.

Avie then surprised me by wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a tight hug. I returned it, unsure of what was going on. 'Oh Merlin' she laughed. Her breath tickled my ear.

Avie then pulled away. 'Merlin, Levalen is my brother, who I have not seen in months. He is not my suitor, if that is what you thought.' Realisation dawned, and relief washed over me. I grinned.

'So you are not with Levalen?' I wanted to just make sure.

'No Merlin, I am not. I am not... romantically involved with any man or elf at the present time.' She just smiled at me. Her beautiful eyes shining in amusement.

I don't know what made me do it, but I leaned over and planted my lips on hers. I pulled away as swiftly as I had leaned in, blushing profusely. Avie's face was a picture of shock, but after a short moment, she took my face into her hands and kissed me. For much longer than I had kissed her. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer. I was singing inside, the kiss was more magical than I could ever have imagined. After what felt like an eternity, she pulled away, probably to breathe. Then she just pulled me into yet another hug, laughing again softly.

'I may have to take back my earlier statement about not being romantically involved with a man, Merlin. As my feelings have most certainly involved themselves when it comes to you.' Avie's voice was barely a whisper.

I hugged her even tighter. 'If you are asking me to be your suitor Avie, then the answer is most definitely yes. Although I think you're being a bit forward.' I said, teasing her.

She poked me in the ribs. 'Then that's settled.'

Levalen then decided to interrupt. He came out of the hut and stormed over, yanking me away from Avie.

'What the HELL do you think you're doing, human, touching my sister?!' Levalen, apparently, was not happy.

'Oh Levalen control yourself, you are being quite the fool.' Avie looked very, very annoyed with her brother.

'Avalon, I will NOT let this man treat you in this manner!'

'Levalen, I am with this man.' My heart leaped a little bit as she said this.

'You don't mean...' Levalen had paled considerably, which was quite a feat seeing as his normal skin colour was just as pale as mine.

'Yes, I do mean romantically, Levalen. And if you do not show him the appropriate respect then you will leave. I mean it.' Avie was now standing up, and her and Levalen looked as if they were competing in a staring contest. Or maybe glaring would be more suitable.

'Oh this is a new low, Avalon. You have done some awful things, but this just about takes the biscuit.' Levalen shook his head in disbelief, and stalked off into the woods, presumably to let off some steam.

Avie looked less angry now, and more sad. There were tears in her eyes, which she blinked back as best she could.

I stood up and took her into my arms, in an attempt to comfort her. Rubbing her back with my hand, I told her just to let it out, and she'd feel better.

And she did, we were there for about ten minutes as she sobbed into my shoulder.

-

Levalen turned up a few hours later.

'Avalon, I have calmed down now, but I would like to speak with your... suitor... alone for awhile.' Levalen had a glint in his eye, that made me very wary.

'Levalen, don't you dare...' Avie's voice wavered again, and I decided I'd had enough.

'Levalen, I will come with you, on the condition that you leave her alone.' I walked over to him. He nodded, and I followed him into the woods.

We walked for a few minutes, until Levalen came to an abrupt stop.

'You need to know the truth about my sister, Merlin. I will not allow you to live in ignorance.'

I was now confused, what had she done that was so bad?

'Avie murdered our parents.' Levalen said, answering my question.


	14. 14) Leaving

Merlin's POV

No.

Apparently, the second girl I had ever been close to was a murderer. Of her own parents. I wanted to doubt this, but something in Levalen's demeanor told me it was true.

His cold grey eyes were devoid of emotion, and his usual scowl had been replaced by a deceptively blank look. One thing became clear to me, Levalen was a master of shutting out his emotions. It made me wonder whether other elves acted like this. Avie didn't.

But she was a murderer.

Yet, despite knowing this was the truth, I just couldn't let it register in my mind. I felt numb.

I took a step back, unsteadily, and collapsed against a tree. I lowered myself to the ground, and placed my head between my knees to alleviate the lightheadedness that had washed over me.

'I'm... sorry, Merlin. You seem like a decent man, and I wanted you to know the truth about what she did.' Levalen took a step towards me and gave me an awkward pat on the back.

I raised my head to the sound of approaching footsteps. It was Avie. She looked at me, then at Levalen. Her eyes glistened with tears.

'Levalen... how could you?' Her voice was slowly cracking.

'He deserved the truth, Avalon. You can't lie to him like you've lied to everyone else. I won't allow it to carry on anymore.' Levalen's voice was even, but firm.

Without another word, Avie turned and ran.

Avalon's POV

I just ran as fast as I could. I headed for the hut, where I would gather all of my supplies. I could hear someone following me, but I ignored it. I felt empty. The one man I had ever allowed myself to grow close to and Levalen ruined it for me. Like he tried to ruin everything else.

I reached the hut and wrenched the door open. Practically throwing myself inside, I shoved the door shut behind me and placed a binding spell on the door.

I shed my cloak and dress, reaching for the bundle that I had hidden in a corner, in case I needed a quick escape. I pulled on my armour as fast as I could, and put my cape back on. I decided to leave the dress here, I didn't need the extra weight.

I gathered all of the spare food I could and shoved it into my knapsack, along with some water.I gathered up my weapons from where I had hidden them, under my bedroll. A silver elven dagger, which I carefully placed in it's sheath in my boot. I slung my bow over my shoulder, and attached my quiver to the side of the knapsack. My sword hung from a belt slung across my hips. I also had other weapons, but these were not as commonly needed, so I put them in my knapsack. I removed the binding spell from the door, and fled the hut.

Levalen was waiting for me outside.

'So now you leave him. How surprising. Guilty conscience, I wonder?' Levalen mused, with a look on his face that appeared calm. But I could see the sadness hidden underneath his features.

'I never killed our parents Levalen. Why will you not believe your own sister?' One more chance for me to convince him. Just one more.

'You were the only one in the house, sister. I don't know what you expect me to think? Was it an invisible man who fled as soon as the act was done? I think not. It was you, I know it was. i don't care if it was an accident or if it was deliberate, but you killed them. You don't even have the decency to admit, do you sister. And I will NEVER forgive you for what you did. The rest of the eleven kingdom may believe your lies and protests of innocence, but I can see through you. You cannot fool me. You have done a better job of fooling yourself.' Levalen snarled his words, barely containing his rising fury.

His words were cruel, oh so cruel. The tears were threatening to spill now.

'It was not me Levalen, it was another. I will not rest until I prove my innocence. Believe that, brother.'

'I find it hard to believe a word that comes out of your mouth.'

'I will prove it one day brother, you will see.' My voice broke into a sob. Unable to bear it any longer, I ran. I was not strong at the moment. I was no leader, I was no sister and I wanted to escape it all.

So I ran deep into the woods, and I didn't look back.

Oh Merlin.

Merlin's POV

I heard the whole thing. When Levalen ran after his sister I followed. I was deeply confused by what I heard. Levalen seemed so sure of his words and Avie was so sad and then she left. She left me, and I couldn't help but think that she could be guilty. If she was so innocent, wouldn't she have stayed? Couldn't she have talked to me?

There were days where I wish that I did not have magic. Where I wished I could leave a simple, but happy life. I could have met a girl from a village and fallen in love. I could have had a life where the woman I loved was not a murderer.

For all my magic and power I felt hopeless. Weak, even. My situation always seemed so out of my control. My destiny was all planned out for me, that's what the dragon had said.

Levalen walked over to me, when he saw where I was. he gently clasped my arm and pulled me up from the ground.

'You need some sleep Merlin. I can tell how you feel, I have felt the same sense of betrayal before, when I first found my parents on the floor, no longer breathing.' He was then quiet. The silence was not uncomfortable, it was one of understanding, where we both wanted to be left alone to arrange our thoughts and feelings into something that hurt less.

As I laid my head down to sleep, I knew that one day, this would hurt less than it did now.


	15. 15) A New Companion

Merlin's POV

Levalen shook me awake roughly. It had been a week now, and I could tell that Levalen was beginning to grow restless. He wanted to get going, but I didn't know to where. I told him to go if he wanted but he refused to leave me. He said that he had to support me and look after me, I was important, he told me. Being the only one of the triunity left that was not a murderer made sticking around worthwhile in Levalen's eyes. I didn't understand it. Since I had first encountered him I had got the strong impression that he disliked me, yet he stayed.

However, as I groggily sat up, I knew that Levalen wouldn't be staying around much longer.

'Merlin, get up. We leave today.' Levalen began to busy himself with shoving his clothes into a knapsack. 'Come on Merlin, get packing, I want to leave as soon as possible.'

I reached for my satchel half-heartedly, and slowly packed my things. I was confused, but kept quiet until we were both packed.

'Levalen, where are we going?' I had to ask, I wouldn't just blindly follow him.

'I have had enough of looking after you whilst you mope around as I have done for the last week. We have more important things to worry about, like this war you think may come soon. I'm taking you to the elven lands Merlin. Come on, let's go.'

**Sorry about how short this is! Next chapters should be longer :)**


	16. 16) Morgana

Morgana's POV  
3 years ago...

The woman was tall. Her face spoke of youth yet she had a look in her eye which betrayed her age to Morgana. She was powerful though, she could sense the magic from this woman metres away, something which rarely happened. She had an air of regality. Her poise and grace was evident from her stance, a posture which likely had taken years of lessons to perfect. Yet it seemed natural on this woman. It suited her.

Her demeanour spoke of royalty yet Morgana could sense hardship, being masked by the facade the woman wore. Her face was framed by an intricately detailed hairstyle, consisting of golden hair in braids wrapped around the face of the woman. On top of her hair sat a crown unlike anything Morgana had ever seen In Camelot. It was a dark grey metal, jagged in shape. Long chains hung from the crown, running underneath her chin and outlining the pale face of the woman.

Her dress was a wonder. Sky blue and a silvery grey to match her crown. A work in lace and embroidery, it told a story of wealth. Of riches beyond imagining.

Morgause had insisted upon this meeting. Morgana had only known Morgause a short while, a matter of months, and Morgause had yet to win Morgana's complete trust. But, Morgause had persisted, and Morgana gave in.

She wished she hadn't.

For all the beauty of the woman there was a sense of danger about her. And Morgana felt fear unlike anything she had felt before. It gripped her heart and twisted, causing her to feel sick to her stomach. Morgana found herself wishing she was back in Camelot, surrounded by the walls of the castle.

Oh, that castle had felt so safe when she was a child.

But these days things were different. She was likely to be found out soon, and they would know who she really was. Being in Camelot would not do for much longer. It was simply a matter of time until she left, and when she did, Morgause would be there, caring for her.

The woman took a step towards where Morgana and Morgause stood. Morgana's chest tightened. The fear taking an even stronger hold. A smile crept onto the lips of the woman. Morgana found herself doubting Morgause. Could it be a trap? When the woman took Morgause's hand, it did nothing to alleviate Morgana's fears.

'My child, this is the girl, yes?' The woman's voice sounded like running water. The words flowing out of her mouth effortlessly, yet sounding cold, controlled.

Morgana knew that she could not run. It would be foolish. For all her power, Morgause and the woman could undoubtedly best her in a battle.

The woman dropped Morgause's hand, and turned to Morgana. Her eyes ran all over Morgana, inspecting her. To Morgana's shock, the woman embraced Morgana, holding her in a hug that felt almost motherly.

Then she realised. Morgana looked pointedly at Morgause and raised an eyebrow. Morgause simply nodded.

Withdrawing herself from the arms of the woman, Morgana looked into the violet eyes of the woman.

'...Mother?'


	17. 17) Memories

**Avalon's POV**

I had been walking through the same forest for weeks now. I had no idea where I was and I had no destination. I couldn't face Merlin again, I knew that, Levalen would be poisoning him against me at this very moment. Me and Levalen used to be so close, but that changed after the death of my parents.

It was quiet in my room. My family lived in a modest elven hut, in the south of the city. It was a particularly cold day today, so I stayed in with my parents, whilst Levalen played with his friends at one of their houses. My father and I had been baking together that afternoon. I could smell the spicy aroma floating upstairs to my room. I was trying to find an old book of mine, so that my mother could read to me for a while. At last, I found it, so I made my way downstairs to find my mother.

'Mother, I found my book'. My mother laughed, and walked over to me, enveloping me in her arms.

'Alright Avalon, lets read together.' My mother took my hand and we walked to our seat in the living room. The room was warm and welcoming, covered in my father's artwork, and my mother's awards from her sword fighting days. My mother was a powerful fighter, renowned for her skills with a blade. She had served as the personal guard of the Emperor for a number of years, but gave it up when she became pregnant with Levalen. My father was more known throughout the kingdom for his work with a brush. He was a fine artist, and had painted a portrait of the Emperor, which is how him and my mother had met. My parents were loving, and I was close to them. I had my father's red hair, but I took most of my features from my mother. Levalen grew up being closer to mother, but like father, he was a more creative soul. he could play seven instruments, and I couldn't actually remember the names of all of them.

I had been reading with my mother for about half an hour, when I heard a strangled yell and a crashing noise coming from the kitchen. My mother pulled her sword which she sharpened and polished every week, and made her way into the kitchen, signalling for me to stay there.

That's when I saw someone dart behind her and slit her throat.

I was frozen in place, too distraught to move. Whoever had intruded left the house, as silently as they had entered, luckily they had not seen me. I ran to my mother, tears streaking down my face as I cried over her, coating myself in her blood in the process. I must have cried over my mother for a while, I didn't even notice when Levalen opened the door and walked in.

He looked at me and at our dead parents and he saw me covered in blood. Then he left, without a word.

The memory of what had happened that day hit me with force, and I collapsed to the ground, against a tree, crying my heart out. I must have been there for hours, because the sun had begun to set, before I heard footsteps. I leaped up and hid behind the tree as quickly as I could. I moved my head the tiniest amount to try and catch a glimpse of whoever was there.

Bandits.

I silently drew my swords from their sheaths. I had two thin swords, that were light and sliced through the air with incredible speed when I fought. I readied myself, preparing to launch into battle if one of the bandits saw me and tried to cause trouble. It was well known that bandits in these woods tried to capture people, and sell them to other kingdoms as slaves or soldiers. That wasn't a fate that I particularly wanted. These bandits were likely to be criminals from Camelot that were exiled. I scowled, it had become very quiet all of sudden, I didn't like it.

I then heard the soft thud of an arrow hitting a target. I carefully moved again so I could see what was going on.

One of the bandits was doubled over, crying in pain. More importantly, he was looking straight at me.

'Men, there is someone over here! Get her!' Oh no.

I moved quickly, running out from my cover as the three remaining bandits began drawing their weapons. I sliced into the forearm of the nearest bandit to me, he howled in anger and shock, enough to delay him for a little while.

Moving onto the next bandit I disarmed him, cutting through the flimsy wood of the staff of his axe. The axe head fell to the floor. He tried throwing a punch, but I crossed my swords in defence and all he accomplished was cutting his hands. Out of the corner of my eye I could see bandit number three attempting to stab me in the ribs when he thought I wasn't looking. I twirled around, plunging one of my swords deep into his abdomen, and kept my other hand free to carry on blocking the punches from the other bandit.

I didn't like to kill outright like that, but it had to be done. It was kill or be killed, and the choice was a pretty obvious one. With one of the bandits disposed of, I payed my full attention to the other two. The bandit who I had cut along the arm was trying to fight me holding his sword in his left hand. It was obvious that he was right handed, his movements were so jerky and uncomfortable to watch. I sliced through his arm, taking off his left hand. He didn't seem to need it much, and he wouldn't come running after me whilst bearing an injury like that. Looking to the last bandit, I saw him on the floor, dead. Two arrows were embedded in his arm.

I scanned my surroundings, trying to find whoever the archer was. Someone then stepped out of the bushes. A man, who looked about twenty years old. He was skinny and tanned, but still had some muscle. His hair was shoulder length and brown. His most prominent feature was his clothing. He wore a bright red shirt, the sleeves of which flared out. His trousers were tight and dark. He then wore a cobalt blue overcoat, with gold buttons running along the side. He made his way over to the bandit who had originally alerted the other to my presence. He took out a dagger, and he slit his throat. The bandit emitted a gargled yell as he choked.

Then he made his way over to me.


	18. 18) Druid

**Avalon's POV**

As he approached, I grasped my sword more tightly, anticipating an attack.

But he didn't attack.

Instead, he dropped to the ground on his knees, and bowed his head. It took me a while to recognise his pose as the elven mark of respect. I had spent months away from my people now, and it had been a while since someone had done that. But then a question sprang to my mind, how did he know who I was? Very few humans knew that the elves existed, let alone who I am. Though I did have a hunch.

Stepping forward, I gently rolled up his sleeve. Druid mark. Well that made sense at least. The druids were the only humans to really know that the elves existed, it made sense that they would also know of my coronation, they most likely sensed the change in the balance of magic.

But if there was one druid here, why were there not others nearby? I realised that I had been lost in my train of thought, and my cheeks grew red when i realised I had just left the man kneeling there.

'Please stand up, people paying me the mark of respect makes me feel uncomfortable.' I tried to sound authoritative, but I think my voice came out a little shaky. I was still pumped full of adrenalin from my fight.

The man stood up, with a very small grin on his face, that he looked like he was trying to suppress. He dusted off his coat with his hands, and then put his hand out for me to shake.

I took it, somewhat confusedly.

'I'm Tryst' He said, as he withdrew his hand.

I blinked a couple of times, unsure if I'd heard him properly.

'You did hear me properly, my lady. Some may view my name as unfortunate, I view it as an oppurtunity.' He said this with a wink. I was too shocked to do anything.

He just laughed at me, I'm sure my face was a picture of shock.

'I'm Avalon.' It was the best response I could muster.

He laughed again. 'I know who you are. Avalon, Empress of the elven kingdoms, Guardian of the lakes and forests. Very fancy title you've got yourself there.'

'I know, but please just call me Avalon or Avie, I hate people calling me 'my lady' or 'Empress'. It just makes me feel uncomfortable. I was no one until a year ago, and then all of a sudden everything changed. Just call me by my name.' It was true. I just felt odd about being referred to by my royal title. That wasn't who I really was, just something I was forced into.

He nodded. 'Alright then, Avalon.' He smiled again, but it was a more gentle smile, which I returned.

'If you don't mind me asking, where are the other druids?' I asked. I was curious as to where they were. I thought they'd be more likely to be hanging around the area where Morgana wants to battle Arthur. The druids like to keep a tab on things.

'Ah. Well I'm not sure. I think they are probably snooping around the battle site, which is obviously miles away on the other side of Camelot, but I suspect you knew that anyway. I think your real question was 'why are you not with the other Druids?'. Am I correct?' He raised an eyebrow.

I just nodded. He was definitely clever, there was not a doubt about that.

'I thought so. Well to cut a long story short, they kicked me out from their order. I travel solo now, and answer to very few but myself.'

'Why did the druids kick you out? What did you do?'

He put his hand on his chest in mock hurt. 'We have only known each other minutes, and you are already accusing me of crimes!' He said this with laughter in his eyes, so I knew that he was joking. However, his face had darkened slightly, so I didn't push the subject further.

'Anyway, I think it's best that we find someplace to camp, Avalon. It will get dark in a few hours, and I would like to be safely hidden at that point. I know somewhere suitable not far from here. You can come with me, if you would like.' I noticed that Tryst was more than eager to change the subject from the druids, but I went along with it anyway. It was none of my business what dealings he had with the druids. I was well aware that he may be dangerous, but he didn't seem like that kind of person, and thanks to my magic, I was intuitive when it came to people.

So I nodded, and walked alongside him to a clearing in the forest. As we walked, we didn't speak. We just maintained a comfortable silence, watching for anymore signs of bandits.

When we reached the clearing, Tryst opened up a small satchel that had been slung over his shoulder. He drew out a large canvas, and 5 long branches from the satchel. I smiled as I realised he had enchanted his satchel. It was a clever spell, which involved making the satchel bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. It meant that abviously he was able to carry camping equipment around with him, in a very small bag.

'Avalon, would you mind setting up a ward? I'm going to assemble this teepee, so it would be helpful.' I nodded, and started to assemble the ward in my mind's eye. It was nice to have something to occupy my mind. It kept me from thinking about my parents, Levalen and Merlin. At the moment, it was painful to think about any of those things. After a few minutes, the ward was complete, making sure we were safe from bandits for as long as I maintained the ward. I turned around to see that the teepee had been assembled, and Tryst standing with an eyebrow raised, watching me.

'To set up a ward of that strength, in five minutes, is incredible. It would take most sorcerers much longer. I knew that you were powerful, but that definitely puts things into a clearer perspective, Avalon.' I knew that Tryst would know about the triunity, and the kind of power that I wielded. Thinking about the triunity reminded me of Merlin, but I pished the thoughts from my mind.

'I think I'm going to get some sleep now, Tryst.'

'Inviting yourself into my tent already are we?' Tryst said, with a teasing wink.

I just rolled my eyes, and went into the teepee, setting my satchel down on the far right side of the teepee. Then, before I set out my bedroll to sleep, I cast a ward around myself, but a very fine one, so that Tryst wouldn't sense a shift in the magic. Just because I couldn't detect any negative energy around Tryst, it didn't mean that I would be so stupid as to not protect myself. I placed my dagger under my pillow, so I could grab it quickly if I needed to, and then finally laid down my head to sleep.


	19. 19) Elven Lands

**Levalen's POV**

We had been walking for a few days now. I was taking Merlin to the nearest coast, where I could transport us to the elven lands. Like my sister, I was a water elf, but my power stemmed from the sea rather than a lake. When we reached the coastline, I would be able to get to the elven lands in a couple of days, and I knew it wouldn't be long until we reached the sea.

Myself and Merlin had stayed mostly silent in our journeying. I was not interested in talking to him until he stopped moping, and I knew that Merlin had little interest in talking to me. Part of me suspected that he blamed me in part for what had happened between him and Avalon. Either way, we talked very little, and I mostly spent our time walking thinking about home.

It was now starting to approach dusk, but I did not want to stop walking. My powers sensed that we were about an hours trek away from the sea, and it would be best to reach the coast before night time fell.

'Merlin.'

'Yes Levalen?' Merlin just mumbled. He sounded irritated, he could probably guess what I was going to say.

'We are not stopping yet. I think we are about an hour from the coast, so we will set up camp when we get there.' I told him. He just nodded curtly, and we continued walking.

Our path was through the forest, but the trees were starting to thin a little. It would be nice, i thought, to finally get out of the trees. Camelot was situated a way away from the coast, seperated by miles of dense forest. We had travelled in nothing but the dense forest since we left the lake, and I was getting quickly bored with the continuous sight of trees. I had grown up in a land that was largely plantlife, but the elven trees were exotic and interesting. The trees in these forests were dull to me.

As we walked, my thoughts drifted to my sister. I wondered how she was faring. Though I tried hard to forget about her, I couldn't help but sometimes think about her. She was alone, but I knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. If I still wanted to know how she was, I knew an elf that could help me.

After a while of walking in silence, with my thoughts occupying my head, we reached the shoreline. The smell of the sea air was refreshing to me, and I could feel myself relax a little. Merlin said nothing, but began to set up his resting place. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he manipulated the earth to form a small hollow where he could comfortably sleep, and be sheltered so no one could see him there. It was interesting to watch him work. He was definitely powerful, as he had mastered earth manipulation in the short time he had known about it.

I used my magic to create a hollow similar to Merlin's, and then set my bag down as my pillow, and set down a bedding roll. I then said goodnight to Merlin, and fell asleep.

-

The next morning, Merlin was awake before I was. He had set up a small campfire and was making some kind of mixture. The smell drifted over to me, and brought memories with it. Merlin was preparing the same kind of jam that my father used to make for my family to all share. Avalon must have showed Merlin how to prepare the recipe. I pushed the thoughts of parents from my head- it only made me angry to think about it. I sat opposite Merlin silently, watching him prepare the jam.

'Good morning Levalen.'

I was surprised that Merlin had spoken to me first. This was rare, as I would usually start any kind of conversation. Now I looked more closely, I noticed that Merlin seemed different. Less... sorrowful. The bags under his eyes were faint and he was less slow and clumsy in his movements. I smiled a little to myself, pleased that I wouldn't have to put up with this fool moping around as much anymore.

'Good morning Merlin.' He then passed me a bread roll filled with jam, and I took a bite. I had been right about him using the same recipe as my father. It tasted exactly the same. I blocked the memories out, and just enjoyed the meal. The bread tasted very fresh, come to think of it, it had tasted fresh every day.

'Merlin, how do you keep this bread tasting so fresh? It's like it was baked this morning.'

He smiled a little at this. 'A spell that Gaius taught me. It just keeps food from going stale and keeps it safe to consume.'

I nodded, and finished my roll.

As Merlin tidied away the pots, I packed my bedroll away and prepared myself. What I was about to do required concentration, so mentally, I had to be in the right state. Being a sea elf, I could manipulate the water and use in a way which other elves could not. It was especially useful in this case.

When I was ready, I walked over to where Merlin had been waiting patiently.

'Merlin, you need to take off your shoes and pack them into your bag.' I did just that myself, packing my shoes into my bag. Then, I took a step into the sea, beckoning for Merlin to do the same.

'Merlin, I have only done this with another person once before. You must not move, alright?'

He nodded, and I placed my hand on his arm, closed my eyes, and pictured the elven lands. The coast that was close to the city that I called home, the sea crashing upon the white sands, and the dense jungle just beyond. I opened my eyes, and we were there.

I was home.

**Author's note: Hey guys, please review, favourite and follow if you enjoyed the chapter 3 Merlin is coming back into the story a lot more now, so stay tuned :)**


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